The Marvel montage began, and an eerie silence befell the movie hall. As the audience held their breath in anticipation, the projectors sprang into action and a powerful voice rent the tranquility. The 10-year journey of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) unfolded frame by frame, a roller-coaster ride guaranteed to give you goosebumps.
For me, Marvel graphic novels and comic books were never that impressive. A certain “other” superhero universe was far more appealing, with its captivating art and brilliant storyline. However, movies were a different ball game altogether, and Marvel has hit it out of the park with Avengers: Infinity War.
The makers of the film, Russo Brothers, give us a worthy endgame that took a decade in the making—almost every hero in the MCU responded to the call to arms. The villain Thanos is trying to get his hands on the infinity stones. The stones are revealed as cosmic entities, older than the universe, which can only be wielded by immensely powerful beings. Thanos belongs to this league of beings and can become invincible with the stones in his grasp. The clash between the Mad Titan and Earth's Mightiest Heroes was inevitable and expected, but the mammoth scale of this collision course is what makes Avengers: Infinity War spectacular.
Every actor delivered captivating performances, making it difficult to pick the better one. Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther, Danai Gurira's Okoye, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner were treats to watch. However, Josh Brolin, as Thanos, indisputably owned the movie. This Marvel spectacle is more a Thanos movie than an Avengers one. The mad titan moves the storyline at a pace that gives many fight sequences a run for their money. One could even count Avengers: Infinity War among Brolin's best works till date, right up there with True Grit and No Country for Old Men. The stellar performance, aided by top-notch CGI and motion capture techniques, has me even more excited about his upcoming role as Cable in Deadpool 2.
Even though I confess that I'm not much of a Marvel universe fan, this breathtaking ensemble had me leaving the cinema hall thoroughly entertained and hyped, yet gasping at the sheer intensity.
There is action, adventure, heartbreak, death and sorrow, all in healthy amounts that make a typical Russo Brothers' dish, garnished with Marvel's signature comic relief. Be ready for the final showdown in Avengers: Infinity War, and take it in slowly. You might need to watch this one more than once. Despite a few misses over the decade, with shallow storylines and films with more plotholes than bullet holes, Marvel goes back to its daring best and gives us a true blockbuster with Avengers: Infinity War. And how!
Avengers: Infinity War
Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Cast: Josh Brolin, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson
Rating: 4/5